It didn’t take long for fists to fly in the Battle of Ontario.
The Maple Leafs and Senators got into multiple scraps late in Toronto’s 6-2 Game 1 home win Sunday night in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
At the end of an ugly night in which Ottawa gave up three power-play goals, the Senators and Leafs started pushing and shoving each other after a whistle with 43.7 seconds left in the game.
Toronto’s Max Domi, son of enforcer Tie, landed an uppercut on Ottawa’s Adam Gaudette during the fracas.
A total of 12 penalties were handed out, six apiece, after the refs finally restored order.
The order didn’t last long, as Sens forward Shane Pinto started throwing punches at Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev after the final horn.
“It was intense,” Leafs star John Tavares, whose power-play goal put Toronto up 3-1 early in the second, told reporters after the game. “It’s called the Battle of Ontario for a reason. Hard-fought game. But we know we still can be a lot better.”
There were likely some nerves for the Senators, who were playing in their first playoff game since Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.
And while they’ll need to stay out of the penalty box, they’ll also need more from goaltender Linus Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina winner who did nothing to quell concerns about his postseason struggles by allowing six goals on 24 shots.
“I like our goalie a lot. He’s a great goalie,” Senators head coach Travis Green said.
Toronto will look to take a 2-0 lead Tuesday night before Ottawa hosts Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Saturday.
